The realm of Social Media is vast. If you're finding yourself slightly overwhelmed, remember that you must learn to walk before you can run. Your current focus is probably on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which is no surprise because these are the big 3. However, all your efforts might be worthless if you don't research your audiences and stakeholders as well as segment them. A simple strategy of connecting with the right people or organisations over a few days may give you a better return on your invested time than tweeting at every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Most importantly, we would suggest adopting the 80/20 rule to all your communications online. Re-tweet or post updates on Facebook with information that is useful or relevant to your industry, and for every two messages you post about you, yourself or your organisation, share eight messages about something or someone else. Don't just talk about yourself and your business over and over again - it's off-putting! Whilst building your influence is essential, remember that to do that, you have to develop relationships with stakeholders within your sector.
Be transparent and open in all your communications; receive criticism with thanks, apologise for any shortcomings and uphold any commitments made. Remember that unlike face to face business, body language isn't available to you and sarcasm may be difficult to judge, so consider your tone of voice. A genuine, friendly approach usually make for the best results.
Consider multiple tweeters for one account as its good for community engagement. Showcase different personalities and demonstrate diversity in the company, as one person tweeting or posting messages all the time will eventually lead to the content, and the role of the person fulfilling it, becoming increasingly boring. However, you will have to ensure that the overall message and organisation's ethos is followed at all times, otherwise this could do more damage than good.
Don't forget to schedule a few updates on days off and weekends. Quiet times in the office mean busy times at home, and these are the periods you should be targeting. It really helps to engage with wider communities as some users like to socialize online only on the weekends. But probably the most important thing about social media is that you are genuinely social, i.e. enjoying the interaction for itself.
And finally, don't forget to track the effectiveness of your social media; it's the only way to find out what really works for you and what is not really worth your time. Make sure you use traceable links, explore Google analytics and measure your conversations online. Keeping records of your results and learning from them will allow you to achieve greater returns in future campaigns.
Need any help with your Social Media? For a cost and obligation FREE chat, please get in contact with Bumble Bee Communications:
Telephone: (+44) 1582 480126
Twitter: @BumbleBeeComms
Web: http://www.bumblebeecomms.com/
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